Frankenstein (1931 film)

Copyright: Universal Studios

I had a lot of fun with Dracula Week, so let's do it again, this time with one of the other popular Universal monster films, Frankenstein.  I've got a great lineup ready for the week, starting with the classic, Boris Karloff version and leading into the recent Victor Frankenstein.  I've been a little bit behind schedule, but I promise that I've got plans to make up for those lost days.  For now, though, let's get into the action!

The film opens on a funeral, with two uninvited guests watching from behind a nearby stone wall: Henry Frankenstein and his assistant, Fritz (Not Igor... he doesn't come along until the third film, at least, with the spelling of Ygor).  Once the crowd has cleared and the grave digger departs, Fritz and Frankenstein move in and harvest the body from the grave.  Along the way back from the graveyard, the duo also stop to cut down a hanging corpse, while Frankenstein raves about his purpose in corpse collecting: to create a new human, built from the parts taken from the bodies and given life by his machines.

Meanwhile, Frankenstein's friend, Victor, meets with his fiancee, Elizabeth.  Both are concerned over not hearing from Henry in a long while, outside of letters saying not to visit.  After talking to his father, the Baron von Frankenstein, they seek out Henry's professor, Dr. Waldman, who tells them he hasn't seen Henry since he left school, but informs them of Henry's ambition.  Together, the three of them head for where Henry's set up his lab... on a dark and stormy night...

This film is a classic for a reason.  The sets are amazing, the makeup for the monster is rightfully considered some of the best in movie history (heck, almost every rendition of Frankenstein's monster uses some variation on it), the acting was great, everything comes together to make an excellent film.

The good doctor, Henry Frankenstein, was portrayed by Colin Clive.  He'd go on to reprise the role in Bride of Frankenstein, but he didn't do much else, genre-wise, and passed away at 37 from tuberculosis.  Boris Karloff portrays his creation, the Monster.  He'd parlay this role into a very successful acting career, going on to get two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television and film.  He was also, later, the inspiration for Bobby "Boris" Pickett's Monster Mash song (and its various sequels).  The film also features Edward Van Sloane and Dwight Frye, both of whom appeared in Dracula, as Dr. Waldman and Fritz, respectively.

All in all, a good, fun movie, one I'm honored to give a 5 out of 5.  Tomorrow, we'll be jumping ahead to 1990, almost 60 years, for the next film, Frankenstein Unbound, from Roger Corman.  I'll see you there!  Until then, this is Red Hawk signing out!

Dracula (1931)

Copyright Universal Pictures

Starting off Dracula Week with a true horror classic, the original Dracula film from Universal Pictures.  While not the oldest film I've covered (that honor goes to Nosferatu, the silent adaptation of the same story, which I covered on this site's original incarnation), it is pretty old, yet remains one of my favorites.

A brief story before I go into my plot rundown.  When I was little, one of the local stations ran an all night marathon of five of the Universal monster films for Halloween: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man and The Invisible Man.  This was not only the first time I saw this film (and the others), but also the first time I ever got to stay up all night.  Well, almost all night... I sort of conked out at Invisible Man, waking up at one point to see a pair of pants chasing a screaming woman down the road.

The film opens on a carriage speeding through the Carpathian mountains, trying to make it to a village before sundown.  Among the passengers is one Mr. Renfield, a realtor who is looking to finalize a deal with the local Count Dracula.  At the village, upon hearing Renfield's destination, the locals try to dissuade him from his appointment at Borgo Pass, or at least delay his trip until the morning, but Renfield is adamant about keeping it.

After a rather eventful ride, Renfield finds himself in the mouldering courtyard of a seemingly wrecked castle in the mountains.  Meeting his host, the charismatic Count himself, Renfield's surprised at the dilapidated exterior, but then finds his own quarters to be warm and cozy.  In the course of the meeting with the Count, Renfield cuts his finger, causing the Count to slowly advance on him, staring at the blood on his hand, only to be repelled by a cross Renfield was given at the village.  Only partially rebuffed, Dracula sends his brides in to dispose of the cross, leaving the way clear for him to enthrall Renfield to his power.

I have always loved this movie.  While some of the special effects are a little strange nowadays, I'm sure that they would have been very effective when it first came to theaters.  One thing I came across when researching this movie was the fact that, whenever Dracula's on camera, especially the scenes with him using his powers to influence others, he never blinks once.  There were rumors that Hannibal Lecter did something similar in Silence of the Lambs (not true, he blinks a lot), it just adds that much more to the creepiness of the character.

Bela Lugosi plays the sinister Count Dracula.  This is the first of twice that he played the role, the other time being in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.  He went on to play many other vampire roles, and mad scientist types, as well, mostly getting typecast in those roles somewhat due to his natural accent.  Speaking of typecasting, Renfield was portrayed by Dwight Frye, who became known for his raving lunatic roles after this film.  Edward Van Sloan played Professor Van Helsing, Dracula's nemesis in the film.  He went on to also play in Frankenstein, The Mummy, and to reprise the Van Helsing role in Daughter of Dracula.

A true classic, and one of my all-time favorites, I don't hesitate to give this film a 5 out of 5.  Next time, I'll be bringing you a new Dracula film, from 40 or so years later.  Until then, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!